"The Clement Street room that turned the tea leaf salad into a Bay Area obsession — owner Desmond Tan's Burmese kitchen, worth the no-reservations wait in the Inner Richmond."
Burma Superstar sits at 309 Clement Street in the Inner Richmond of San Francisco, the original of what became a small Bay Area group. It anchors part of our San Francisco coverage as the room that put Burmese food on the city's map.
It was established in 1992, and owner Desmond Tan took it over around 2000 when it was close to shutting. Under him the tea leaf salad became a Bay Area institution.
The signature is the tea leaf salad, tossed tableside: fermented tea leaves blitzed with oil, lemon and salt, layered with romaine, fried garlic, nuts and seeds. The rainbow salad, samusa soup and coconut chicken noodles round out the order most regulars repeat.
Prices are mid-range and approachable, which is part of the appeal. The cooking is bold and bright rather than refined, and the menu stays close to Burmese home cooking.
The room is small, warm and almost always full, with exposed brick and close tables. It does not take reservations, so the wait on Clement Street is part of the ritual.
Go early or off-peak to dodge the queue, or put your name down and walk the Richmond's bookshops and bakeries until a table opens.
Burma Superstar suits a casual first date, a low-key birthday with friends or a satisfying solo dinner. For other San Francisco rooms, compare Che Fico, Al's Place and Bix.
Not for diners who want to book ahead, a quiet hushed room or white-tablecloth service — it is a busy, no-reservations neighbourhood favourite where the wait comes with the territory.
The tea leaf salad. The Clement Street original in San Francisco's Inner Richmond made the dish famous across the Bay Area, tossing fermented tea leaves with romaine, fried garlic, nuts and seeds tableside.
No. The original on Clement Street runs a long-standing no-reservations policy, so expect a wait at peak times. Go early or put your name down and explore the neighbourhood.
At 309 Clement Street in the Inner Richmond district of San Francisco.
It was established in 1992, and owner Desmond Tan took it over around 2000, growing it into a small Bay Area group while keeping the Clement Street original at the centre.
The rainbow salad, samusa soup and coconut chicken noodles are the dishes regulars come back for, all at approachable mid-range prices.
No reservations — go early or expect a wait. Find Burma Superstar at 309 Clement Street in the Inner Richmond.
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Burma Superstar anchors part of our San Francisco guide — the Clement Street Burmese room that made the tea leaf salad a Bay Area obsession under owner Desmond Tan.
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